Poll on if you would send your (primary) aged dc back to school on 11/5

[THATscurryfungeBITCH]

Would you be happy to send your primary aged dc back to school on 11th May?

Yes - YABU
No - YANBU

If schools reopen while social distancing guidelines are still in place, my fear is that children will find it very difficult to maintain without constant "nagging" from the adults in school. Which is going to make everyone unhappy. Then I fear, we'll have parents complaining that their children aren't happy in school but there'll be nothing we can do about it

Yes, this would be a concern of mine. I think my 4 year old particularly would be unsettled/frightened by this.
I’ve also seen talk of teachers teaching in full PPE, and completely understand why they want this. But I think particularly for reception children this would be petrifying.
My decision will be completely based on the situation at the time. But I’m lucky enough as a stay at home parent to have that choice. As soon as people are expected to go back to work, people are going to have to send their children to school.

Those women could have diabetes, asthma, be pregnant, etc Just because someone is young and looks healthy doesn’t mean they don’t have underlying conditions. In addition, many teachers could have family members that are very vulnerable.

As I said, and I was quite clear about this, I do understand that and they could continue to shield. However, it is imperative that the population at large do not continue to do so.

To continue the shut down will lead to us running out of food. That isn't scaremongering, it is exactly what happens when...we stop growing and harvesting food. If we push the bulk of illness into winter, the NHS will be overwhelmed and we will begin to experience issues with critical services e.g. electricity. Again, stories in mainstream media.

There are few people as vulnerable as those starving in winter with the heating off.

This virus is here for the long run and a vaccine is far from guaranteed. Those of us at low risk need to get on with it otherwise everyone will suffer terribly.

Why do people think flu season in Autumn will be an issue this year. In the best years only 400 people die of flu. With social distancing and lock down I expect us to have very flu deaths

Surely people mean that flu season will be an issue if lockdown is lifted?

Oh, good-another school thread; I’ll add it to my list. for the first of the day.

I wonder if all those parents who are happy to send their kids back before the 12 weeks vulnerable people were told to stay at home (15th June, I believe) will be fine with their kids being in a class of 45 ‘taught’ by a TA? That’s what was happening at many schools just before the government closed them.

NOTHING has changed since the 1st day of school closure, why closing if we send them back as if nothing happened?

Well there's the choice of withdrawing them tiredanddangerous, but also, there's nothing to prevent people using symptoms as a delaying tactic for a bit if they wanted their child to go back later.

@hofficoffi Even with social distancing remaining but lock down ending, flu deaths will reduce dramatically.
And of course young children will be terrified by a teacher teaching in PPE. Not all children, but any sensitive children will be scared by this.

We need to get on with it.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/15/romanian-fruit-pickers-flown-uk-crisis-farming-sector-coronavirus

I would worry. I have a child with ASD and pica which means he puts things in his mouth. He wont be able to social distance and a majority of his class wont especially as it is a big class. I would have also thought alot of parents would struggle as I know many people who rely on grandparents to pick up children. The school my children go to were already struggling with people sending their children with persistent coughs and temperature before lockdown, every time there is a sickness bug there is always parents who send children back before 48hrs so I would worry about children been exposed especially as I would imagine alot of parents would be under pressure not to take time off work once they go back as businesses will be trying to get going again. It's hard as I think they will have to be measures in place such as taking childrens temperatures as they come in. There is no chance of social distancing, they share only a few toilets and especially with reception they will be playing in water, sand, have playdoh and paints etc, children constantly sticking fingers up noses, not washing hands properly and general lack of hygiene means that it could spread easily. I can understand the need to go back but I think it may still be to early and it needs to be considered how to do safely. Staff can be vunrable and schools were already struggling with teachers needing to isolate and if we are to do social distancing how do schools do that if they have staff off which may lead to mixed classes. It's also very hard for parents to social distance at pickup especially at smaller schools with small play grounds and paths leading to

...and no one else will be feeding us.

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/26/coronavirus-measures-could-cause-global-food-shortage-un-warns

Why do people think flu season in Autumn will be an issue this year.

Because it always creates extra pressure on the NHS, so no reason to think it won't this year.

I actually think if the proposal is for kids to return to school, teachers to teach wearing PPE, and kids being forced to stay 6 ft away from all other kids, that this will have a very negative impact on kids mental health.
My son is fine, he is a teenager and just thinks this is all a bit of a laugh. My daughter is anxious over all this. Going into a school operating like this will just increase her anxiety massively. So I suspect strongly even if I did send her back soon, which I won't, I would have to pull her out after a few days as she would not cope with this.

I wouldn't have much choice as I work in a school so I would be expected back in work

@ElisavetaOfBumsornia Social distancing and lock down will have a drastic affect on flu. I suspect we will have the lowest number of flu deaths ever.

If your child or someone in your family is at risk, dont send your child to school. Simple. But let others who may have to work, a chance to keep their job.
I can't imagine anyone being fined if your child doesn't attend on health grounds. Anyway, there won't be any meaningful teaching for the foreseeable future. More of a supervision.

No.

Nope, I’m pregnant so that risk isn’t worthwhile for me at all.

The longer the lockdown, the worse the economic hit, the worse the impact will be over the following DECADES, in which people will yes, die. Not from some virus, but from economic dearth.

That's not true historically. There was a spate of articles recently on studies showing that the cities that locked down hardest during the Spanish Flu actually recovered more quickly. Which makes sense, as if an illness is still making more people seriously ill and killing more people while trying to carry on, that's very disruptive too.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-social-distancing-spanish-flu-recovery-minneapolis-mit-a9454656.html

@PicsInRed The conditions I listed aren’t in the shielded list (unless it’s severe asthma) They all count as ‘vulnerable’ rather than ‘extremely vulnerable/shielded’. So would vulnerable teachers be allowed to stay home? Would they lose their jobs if they did? And what about healthy teachers with vulnerable or shielded family members?

I see what you’re saying re getting back to work, but there’d need to be a big change in school arrangements before I’d consider it sensible for them to re-open. That’s both for the children’s sake and for the teachers’ sake. Teaching primary school children makes social distancing and hygiene very hard. Telling children to socially distance from their friends at playtime would be hard too.

Also, some children might be anxious about returning. If teachers do get the PPE requested, then it’s hardly going to be a nice back-to-normal experience for young children.

OP, I'm a bit confused. Had this date been proposed? And you only talk about primary age. Is that significant too?

To answer your question, if it IS only primary (I teach secondary) no way would my dc go back. I don't feel it's safe and dd2 and I are on the 'at more risk' list. But if it's all schools, I'm not sure I will have the luxury of choice.

Oh you mean if we're still on lockdown in winter alloutoffucks? I don't think we will be, I was replying in the context of why those of us who are talking about going back in May/June rather than in September mention flu.

If your child or someone in your family is at risk, dont send your child to school. Simple.

Maybe not so simple if a significant proportion of school staff fall into that category. If every school has a ‘reasonable’ number-they will all be trying to find supply teachers which was simply impossible at the end of the week the government closed the schools.

I strongly suspect if they go back before the 12 weeks, it will be ‘classes’ of 45 shoved together in one classroom with a TA.

No.

We've a DC on 12 week shielding as on v vulnerable list so I presume we're all still in lockdown for another 8 weeks. (He's already done 4 weeks).

Yes. There are of course difficulties around the teachers/getting kids to and from school but these are not insurmountable with a bit of thought and a lot of willing (eg - buses to pick up/drop off; not every child in every day, rota systems, parent volunteers to cover - it can work if people really want it to).

What should not happen is that schools stay closed until the there is a vaccine - there might never be one - or there is 'herd immunity' - as that requires having a vaccine.
Children deserve an education and its the ones that need it most that are also losing out the most at the moment. That can't continue indefinitely. May might be a bit soon, I don't know, but there should be a long-term plan in place that doesn't cost children several months of their education. They are already going to be bearing the economic cost of this for years to come - as there will be NO money available for all kinds of social funding for many years.

Like a shot.